What is BROADSIDE and what does the TLA BROADSIDE Digest contain?

Updated

BROADSIDE is the Theatre Library Association's publication for news, articles, and reviews in the performing arts library and archive field. The BROADSIDE Digest gathers all articles and reviews posted to TLA into a single, easy-to-read document, so you can catch up on the association's output in one place rather than browsing individual posts. If you want current news and reviews, start with the Digest; if you need older material, use the Classic BROADSIDE Archive.

What the Digest contains

According to TLA's site, the Digest consolidates everything posted to the association, which spans several news categories:

  • President's Blog — updates from TLA leadership
  • Events — including recorded discussion forums and presentations
  • Awards — book awards, professional awards, and scholarships
  • Membership — association news for members
  • Book/Media Reviews — reviews of publications relevant to the field

Recent examples of what appears in the feed give a sense of the range: a recorded TLA Discussion Forum on AI as a Tool for Performing Arts Libraries and Archives, a forum on Script Accessibility for the Theater Practitioner, and a report on the SIBMAS 2026 symposium in Reykjavík. These are the kinds of items the Digest collects.

How to access it

  1. Go to tla-online.org.
  2. Use the navigation to reach Publications, where you'll find the BROADSIDE Digest along with the Classic BROADSIDE Archive and Other Publications.
  3. Open the Digest to read the compiled articles and reviews in one document.
  4. For older content, switch to the Classic BROADSIDE Archive.

The site also lists a BROADSIDE News Digest and a Full Directory of News Categories if you prefer browsing by topic rather than reading the compiled document.

Who it's for

The Digest is most useful if you work in or study performing arts librarianship and archives—theater librarians, archivists, and researchers—and want a single source for association news, event recordings, award announcements, and reviews. If you only need one specific item, such as a recorded forum, the individual news post may be more direct than the full Digest.

Things to know before you rely on it

  • The site shows Member Login and Join TLA options, and membership categories and privileges are described under Membership. The available page information does not state whether the Digest itself is restricted to members, so check the Publications page directly if access matters to you.
  • The Digest is a compilation, not an original magazine issue—its content mirrors what is posted to TLA's news feed, so the freshest items will also appear as individual posts.
  • For archival research, the Classic BROADSIDE Archive is the place to look rather than the current Digest.